DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – It would be a tale of quarters for the Queens College women's basketball team Wednesday evening as the Knights matched up against the Mavericks of Mercy University inside the Neil Judge Student Athlete Center in East Coast Conference play.
The sophomore duo of forward
Nkiru Awaka (Hyde Park, N.Y.) and guard
Jalea Abrams (Elmira, N.Y.) led the offense with Awaka recording her fifth double-double of the year with 15 points and 14 points, while Abrams recorded 10 points, but in a game that saw seven ties and six lead changes, it would be a late Mavericks run in the fourth quarter that would see Queens fall short to the final score of 57-51.
With the loss, the Knights move to 7-8 overall and 2-3 in ECC play.
GAME RECAP
It would be the home side that opened the first quarter on a 7-2 run before Awaka and rookie forward
Autumn Simon (Bellport, N.Y.) combined for an 8-3 run to tie the game at 10-10 with 2:45 left in the first quarter.
As a three-pointer helped Mercy retake a 13-10 lead, Awaka and Abrams would put together a 6-0 run to close out the first quarter as Queens took a 16-15 lead into the second quarter.
The Knights would be held scoreless for the first five and half minutes of play while the Mavericks took a 19-16 lead before a deep shot from Abrams at the 5:26 mark tied the game at 19-19.
As both sides exchanged leads over the next two minutes of play, and with the game tied at 25-25 with 3:19 left until halftime, costly turnovers would see the Mavericks take a six-point lead of 31-25 at halftime.
A layup from Awka to begin the third quarter would help Queens put together a 12-4 run including a jumper from Abrams to tie the game at 35-35 before a layup from rookie forward
Chinyere Ukaegbu (Brooklyn, N.Y.) put the Knights ahead 37-35 with 5:04 left in the stanza.
With Queens leading 40-39 with 3:25 left, Mercy would end the third stanza on an 8-2 run to take a 47-42 lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
The Knights would keep their deficit to five points but in a quarter where they shot 25.0% from the field, it would be the Mavericks who take the first meeting of the year to the final score of 57-51 Wednesday evening.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Awaka recorded her fifth double-double of the year and third in the last four games with a team-high 15 points and 14 rebounds to go with two steals, one block, and one assist.
- Abrams notched 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
- Simon tallied six points, six rebounds, and one steal.
- Ukaegbu recorded six points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block off the bench.
NEXT GAME
Queens concluded the road stand with a stop in Rockland County on Saturday, Jan. 18 as they match up against the Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas College in ECC play. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. The Spartans enter the week with an overall record of 4-12 and 2-4 in ECC play and are coming off a 68-67 overtime victory over Molloy Wednesday evening.
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